Crowning Ceremony

The Stormhearth Empire was the largest empire of the continent with a thousand years old history. The land was blessed by the goddess of nature. Every noble blood has the essence of god's blood giving them immense power and ability to control one ability of nature. The strongest ability to control the fire resides with the royal family.

But with time, the powers had weakened. Generation after generation, the power is getting lost. So it was strictly prohibited for nobles to marry a commoner with no power. And to keep all the power collected, only one son was given birth each generation.

Thalric Veydra Stormhearth, the 75th prince of the Storm Hearth Empire was a strong mana holder with the power of a sword master and ability to wield the fire. But it was not at its strongest. He was flawless in every regard, his face, character, strength except his powers. He was trained to rule the empire from his birth. Not a single day had passed when he was not reminded that the crown was his and he had to protect it. For sixteen years, he had never taken rest or let himself be swayed by other desires. For him, only the crown was his life. 

His every action revolves around his duties as the crown prince. But today.. His only reality and the reason to live was shattered when he faced Ethan, the first son of his father.

There must be hundreds of men around him speaking incessantly, yet he could not hear a word. It was his crowning ceremony, yet he was standing as a spectator and watched the man with silver hair and dark gray eyes, eyes that showed the power bestowed by the goddess. The color was darker than his!

Showing that the man holds more power.

"Is that a joke?" the duke of Devonshire slammed the chair with force. 

Thalric blinked and looked around. He was still in the empire hall where his majesty sat on his throne and listened to the worldly affairs. Where hundreds of decisions were made about the life and death of others.

Thalric had always envisioned himself sitting there when he turned sixteen and controlling all those lives. Never in his dreams had he thought that he would be controlled here one day.

"Duke Devonshire, I know that it is hard to digest. But you can not refute that the child belongs to me." The grave voice of his father, William, made Thalric laugh.

Was it not a cruel joke? If this man was his father's eldest child, then who was he?

He could feel every single eye on him. Eyes that should be filled with reverence and respect were not looking at him as if he was a joke. Doubt and mockery was unbearable for him.

Duke Devonshire, his maternal uncle, looked at his mother, the empress. She was standing behind his father with an equally stunned face.

Duke could not bear it anymore and gritted his teeth.

"But your majesty, the first empress had died a long time ago. And we don't even know that she was pregnant. How could there be a child suddenly? " That point silenced his father too. Who looked at the man.

"Come here, my child." even the greeting cleared that his father had made up his mind to accept this child. 

Ethan scanned the room with cold eyes before moving toward the throne. He looked straight into the eyes of his majesty without a bow or any courtesy.

"How insolent!" Thalric stood up to scold only to get a glare from his father.

"He is your elder brother, Thalric! Behave." Thalric wanted to shout nothing was proved yet. But his voice was lost in his mouth. The man had dark gray hair and gray eyes! What was left to prove it.

Not that his father, the majesty, wanted a reply from him. He had already turned his attention to the man again.

"Tell me who you are?" he spoke in a voice unrecognizable to Thalric. For him, his father had always been cold and cruel. The soft voice felt surreal in his ears and he could not help but stare at the man that looked oddly unfamiliar despite being his father.

"I am your son!" the young man declared, earning another wave of murmurs from the courtroom. 

"Where were you till now and why did you never return if you knew that you were my son?" The voice had a hint of coldness and sharpness that Thalric was well aware of. He looked at the young man again.

He had a strong build as if he was trained as a knight all his life. His face strongly resembled him and his father. His eyes had a cold glint matching his majesty too.

"My mother was ambushed and killed yet you never come to save her or search for her. But you married another woman in a year." the man tilted his head to look at Vania, the empress and Thalric's mother with a cold glint in his eyes. 

"I was afraid that if I would inform them about my presence I would be killed too. I hid to keep myself safe and prepare for my return." he did not even try to hide the hostility he had for the royal family.

Thalric wanted to shout again for the accusations but he only stared at his father's stunned face.

Was there a wave of guilt that crossed his face?

"I have sent many search parties. Amyra was never found. I have looked for her for a year." he said in a low voice giving an explanation to his eldest son!?

"I knew that she was pregnant."